Degrand's paper of the attachment of a
dead body in Boston, the Eastern papers are bringing us
assurances of the total illegality of any such act, and a
contradiction of some of the important parts of Mr. Degrand's
tale of horror. At the time of the first appearance of this story
in our city, a gentleman of information assured the public
through the medium of our columns that any such act was unlawful.
The Salem Gazette appears to think that no act of the kind was
ever lawful in Massachusetts. The Boston Courier states that in
Feb., 1812, the legislature of Massachusetts passed a law making
it highly penal for any civil officer to take the body of any
deceased person, and the writer who furnishes this information
says that 'he never heard that any such act of barbarism was ever
attempted in that Commonwealth,' but that the law was enacted to
guard against the possibility of such an occurrence, by a mistake
in the application of the terms, 'we command you to take the body
of A.
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